Prayer
Prayer Stage
- Spontaneous Response to God’s Presence:
- After recognizing God in scripture and life, we naturally feel moved to pray.
- This prayer is a personal response to what we’ve seen, felt, and experienced.
Thanksgiving – The Primary Prayer:
Thank God for:
- The scripture passage.
- Grace-filled memories.
- Jesus alive and active in our lives.
- Participation in the ongoing story of grace.
- Express gratitude not just for ourselves, but in solidarity with others who share in this grace.
- If thanksgiving doesn’t arise, it may indicate the meditation was incomplete and should be revisited.
Personalized Prayer Using Scripture:
- Pray in our own words, enriched with biblical phrases from the passage.
- This honors and uplifts our personal experiences as part of God’s living word.
- Our lives and stories are placed alongside those in Scripture.
Repentance:
- Recognize personal shortcomings and moments when we hindered God’s work.
- Acknowledge that even past encounters with God’s presence could have gone deeper.
- Express solidarity in human sinfulness with a heartfelt “Lord have mercy.”
Petition:
- Ask for a deeper and more complete presence of Jesus in our lives and the world.
- Pray with longing for transformation in ourselves, our families, the Church, and society.
- Use the ancient Christian plea: “Come, Lord Jesus (Maranatha)!”
Overall Goal:
Let prayer be a heartfelt dialogue with God that flows from lived experience and scripture, strengthening our connection to Him and to others.
Contemplative Prayer in the context of Lectio Divina:
- Contemplative Prayer as a Fruit of the Journey:
- Not a new stage but a deepening of previous stages (thanksgiving, repentance, petition).
- It is centered on trust in God’s presence, already cultivated throughout the lectio process.
Movement into Silence and Stillness:
- Scripture passages can lead us into contemplative prayer.
- Words gradually fade; God’s presence becomes more dominant.
- We surrender to God in faith and trust, entering into restful, loving awareness of Him.
- Resting in God’s Love:
- No need to speak or act—just be in God’s presence.
- Experience a moment of oneness with God, others, and all creation.
- Let go and let God work in us: breathing His Spirit, shaping us for His purposes.
Dealing with Distractions:
- Distractions are normal on the journey into contemplation.
- Use a sacred word or phrase from scripture as a quiet mantra to refocus.
- Choose a word that resonated during meditation and prayer, holding God’s presence.
Contemplation as Nourishment, Not as a Goal:
- The contemplative moment is not an end but a gift that fosters a lasting attitude of trust.
- It deepens awareness of God’s ongoing work in all areas of life.
- We are called to be “contemplatives in action”—living with inner stillness while actively engaging with the world.
- Contemplative prayer strengthens belief in God’s love, presence, and ultimate victory.
- It helps us live in hope and faith, trusting God in all circumstances.